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January 2014

January 22

Vatican confirms Obama will visit Pope in March

January 22, 2014

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama at the Vatican March 27, the White House announced and the Vatican confirmed.

Vatican bank investigated cleric arrested again by Italian authorities

January 22, 2014

VATICAN CITY - Summarizing efforts made in 2013 to improve transparency and compliance with international standards for financial operations, the Vatican bank confirmed that it conducted a "detailed investigation" of the accounts held by a monsignor arrested by Italian police for the second time Jan. 21.

March targets abortion drug

January 22, 2014

OTTAWA - Campaign Life Coalition has chosen “RU-4Life” as the theme for the National March for Life May 8, a play on words to combat abortion drug RU-486 now being tested in Canada.

Supreme Court agrees to hear euthanasia appeal

January 22, 2014

OTTAWA - Opponents of assisted suicide and euthanasia are alarmed that the Supreme Court of Canada will hear a case that threatens to overturn the court’s rejection of assisted suicide 21 years ago.

Despite prayers, Syrians hold little hope for peace in Geneva II talks

January 22, 2014

AMMAN, Jordan - Raising olive branches, Christians from Catholic and Orthodox congregations crowded into a packed church in the Jordanian capital and sang the Lord's Prayer together in Arabic.

January 23

Pain and truth

January 23, 2014

It is never easy to hear the Church address the sinful litany of sexual abuse that has caused so much harm to so many people. The discussion is always painful, but it is necessary.

Israel’s outlook must be seen through a biblical lens

January 23, 2014

JERUSALEM - I have been to Israel more than a dozen times — as a pilgrim, leading pilgrimages, with my family, on a private retreat, for Christmas, for Holy Week, for board meetings, for the papal visit of 2009 — but never for something quite like this. I was invited to be part of the official delegation accompanying Prime Minister Stephen Harper on his visit this week to Israel and the Palestinian Authority (West Bank).

A call for the prejudice of love

January 23, 2014

For some years now my wife and I have used the services of a local odd-job man named Stanley. Minor electric work, some gardening, a cupboard restored or a drawer fixed. Call Stanley. We trusted him utterly, and if we were out we would leave the door open for him and his cash payment on the kitchen table. He didn’t charge much, did first-class work, and was a kind, intelligent, interesting man. He was, I suppose, almost part of the family in that the children all knew and liked him and we rather relied on him.

Gossip overcome as justice finally prevails

January 23, 2014

In 2004, the Catholic chaplain at Aberdeen University was suddenly removed. In 2006, Fr. Mark Paterson, O.Carm., was convicted of sexual assault. As his accuser, a middle-aged non-student, was known among the students of the university’s Catholic Society as a teller of malicious tales, the Catholic Society was outraged. They told the media, which had broadcast the salacious accusations, that there had been a miscarriage of justice.

The perils of the ‘re-gifting season’

January 23, 2014

With the Christmas season behind us, so begins the “season of re-gifting.” The other day, my lovely wife was thinking about passing along a Christmas present she didn’t want until I reminded her of a story.

Jesus came to be one with us

January 23, 2014

Presentation of the Lord (Year A) Feb. 2 (Malachi 3:1-4; Psalm 24; Hebrews 2:10-11, 13b-18; Luke 2:22-40) The prophet Malachi was a rather disappointed and angry man. It was some time in the late sixth and early fifth centuries BC. The exiles had returned from Babylon but the prophesied rebirth and restoration of the nation had not occurred. The nation was struggling to rebuild its economic and political life.

Never does God call us to violence

January 23, 2014

In his deeply insightful book Violence Unveiled, Gil Bailie takes us through a remarkable section of the diaries of Captain James Cook, the famed British scientist and explorer. Visiting Tahiti in 1777, Cook was taken one day by a local tribal chief to witness a ritual where a man was sacrificed as an offering to the god, Eatooa. The man was being sacrificed in hope that this particular god would give the tribe some assistance in an upcoming war. Cook, though friendly to the local peoples, could not conceal his detestation for what he considered both a barbaric and superstitious act. In a conversation with the chief afterwards, Cook told him that in England they would hang a man for doing that.

Cardinal Collins takes on Vatican bank oversight role

January 23, 2014

TORONTO - Cardinal Thomas Collins knows all about saving souls but with his appointment to the Vatican bank he’ll be getting a crash course in savings of another kind.

Pope says Internet a 'gift from God,' should be used for solidarity

January 23, 2014

VATICAN CITY - Like the good Samaritan, who stopped on the road to help a person in need, travelers along today's communication highways should offer support to those they encounter there, Pope Francis said.

Opus Dei announces beatification date for Msgr. del Portillo

January 23, 2014

VATICAN CITY - The prelature of Opus Dei has announced that Msgr. Alvaro del Portillo, the successor to Opus Dei founder St. Jose Maria Escriva, will be beatified Sept. 27 in Madrid.

Vatican observer calls for concrete steps toward peace in Syria

January 23, 2014

VATICAN CITY - International leaders and representatives of various Syrian factions now engaged in peace talks must give "priority to negotiations over guns (and) to people over inordinate power," said the Vatican's observer at the talks.

January 24

‘Mega Strong’ wins for Multiple Sclerosis society

January 24, 2014

For teenager Madelyn Cryer, it was an ordinary Sunday afternoon with her mother — until it wasn’t. The pair regularly spent time together on weekends, but on this mother-daughter date to Starbucks, over coffee and hot chocolate, Cryer’s mother revealed a long-held secret: she has Multiple Sclerosis.

The mark of social media

January 24, 2014

Social media is immersed in our lives. Everywhere we look, we see it used by businesses and individuals alike. It has become an important aspect of our lifestyle, which has caused us to slowly overlook its effects on our lives, even religion. It may be odd to think about how our tweets or Facebook posts can relate to our faith, but they have, in a way, affected our relationship with God.

Showcasing Catholic education

January 24, 2014

TORONTO - Ontario’s Catholic school trustees’ association is showing off some of the system’s best through its recently launched Leadership Video Series.

iPad awarded to Christian unity contest winner

January 24, 2014

TORONTO - If at first you don’t succeed, Nathan Ko knows why you should try and try again. Ko, who placed third last year in The Catholic Register’s and the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement-Graymoor’s student writing contest on Christian unity, is this year’s first place winner.